Claude François

Biography

Alongside Johnny Hallyday, Claude François was one of the primary stars of French rock and roll & roll, rising through the so-called “yé-yé” movement of the first ’60s. Like Hallyday, his early achievement came mainly from French adaptations of English-language rock and roll and folk strikes, instead of from original materials written designed for him. Nevertheless, his picture — immaculately coiffed locks and glitzy sequined matches — played just like big a job in his reputation, and produced him a significant teenager idol in his heyday, when followers dubbed him “Clo-Clo.” He outfitted his much-imitated quartet of backup dancers, the Clodettes, in a lot more flamboyant outfits (some self-designed), which offered his act an absolute kitsch charm and became a visible signature for a lot of his profession. Properly for the vocalist who recorded the initial version from the track that became “My Method,” François resided the outsized existence of a celebrity, cycling through some high-profile affairs and obtaining a reputation to be extremely difficult to utilize. Despite continued recognition, he endured a work of poor personal luck within the ’70s that culminated in his freak unintentional death of them costing only 39 yrs . old, electrocuting himself within the bath tub while changing a lamp. Claude Marie Antoine François was created on Feb 1, 1939 in Ismailia, Egypt, where his French-born dad worked like a shipping and delivery traffic controller within the Suez Canal. His Italian-born mom motivated him musically, obtaining him into violin and piano lessons; François favored the drums, nevertheless. When Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, François and his family members had been repatriated to France, settling in Monte Carlo. His dad fell seriously sick shortly after, and François was pressured to obtain a work and help support the family members. He worked inside a lender by day time, but soon captured on like a drummer with regional orchestras within the resort and nightclub circuit. He produced his professional debut with Louis Frozio in 1957, over his father’s intense objections. Around 1959, François began to try his hands at performing, and proved popular with resort viewers around the France Riviera. In 1961, he and his first wife transferred to Paris. François discovered a gig executing with Les Bettors, but soon made a decision to go on a single profession, hoping to make use of the stone fad emerging one of the youngsters of Paris. Still in 1961, he arrived a record offer and released a debut one, “Nabout Twist,” beneath the name Koko. It flopped. Nevertheless, his second discharge, an Everly Brothers version retitled “Belles, Belles, Belles,” was a million-selling smash for Philips in 1962. Adopted simply because a teenager idol with the French music press and the favorite Salut Les Copains present, he scored many more strikes over the following calendar year, including “Marche Tout Droit,” “Pauvre Petite Fille Riche,” “Dis-Lui,” as well as the past due-1963 chart-topper “Si J’Avais el Marteau” (a French edition of “EASILY Acquired a Hammer”). Hence established being a superstar, François embarked on a headlining tour of France in 1964, and wound it up with an appearance on the famed Olympia movie theater in Paris. François documented prolifically through the middle-’60s, cranking out one after one and version after version. He added the very first version from the Clodettes to his stage display in 1966, which offered him a complete new charm in concert, and installed another hugely effective tour. Right now lengthy since separated from his 1st wife, he previously a short and well-publicized love with vocalist France Gall in 1967. Within the aftermath from the separation, he co-wrote and documented a music known as “Comme d’Habitude,” that was later on modified by Paul Anka in to the English-language pop regular “My Method.” François began his personal Flèche label in 1968, exactly the same yr he previously the to begin two kids with a fresh girlfriend. François continuing to execute and record with substantial success for another couple of years, but broke down and collapsed on-stage in 1971 throughout a concert at Marseille. He recuperated within the Canary Islands for a short while, and came back to France and then break several bone fragments in a significant car crash. In 1972, he uncovered songwriter Patrick Juvet, who constructed his smash strike “Le Lundi au Soleil”; nevertheless, more misfortune implemented, as François was discovered to owe a lot more than two million francs in back again taxes. He previously several more strikes in 1973, the largest which was “Ça S’en Va et Ça Revient,” but experienced more misfortune once the windmill at his nation home caught open fire, so when he was unintentionally head-butted by way of a lover during another concert at Marseille. François got a big success in 1974 with “Le Phone Pleure,” which when translated into British (as “Tears on calling”) offered him his 1st U.K. graph single. Within the U.K. on the promotional tour in 1975, he narrowly prevented being wiped out by an IRA bombing. By this time around, he had resolved a few of his economic problems by obtaining several periodicals (one teen-oriented, one with adult nude picture taking) along with a modeling company. In 1977 he reinvented himself being a disco vocalist using the smash strikes “Alexandrie, Alexandra” and “Magnolias Forever,” two of the very most enduringly popular music of his profession (and improved live with the Clodettes’ disco routines). Unfortunately, they might also be the final. On March 11, 1978 — shortly after taping a U.K. Television particular — François was going for a shower at his Paris house when he pointed out that the over head light bulb required changing. He stood up to take action, still standing up in drinking water, and was fatally electrocuted. Information of his loss of life was fulfilled by an outpouring of grief from People from france music enthusiasts, who continue steadily to enjoy a lot of his latter-day function.

When Claude photographed naked women for Absolu magazine (the equivalent of Playboy magazine), he signed under the pseudonym François Dumoulin.

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Claude François had a secret relationship with singer France Gall.

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Recorded in France for Philips Record 434.912 BE the US Big Hit by Vaughn Horton: "La ferme du Bonheur"- (Mockin' Bird Hill) in German it was called: (Auf der Alm in Tirol).

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After a break-up with singer France Gall in 1967, he was very depressed. In order to help, Jacques Revaux, a friend of his, proposed him a little melody. With Revaux and Gilles Thibault, he wrote the lyrics about a failing couple, destroyed by their usual life habits. It was titled "Comme d'habitude". A little time later, the song had an English version: "My Way".

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French singer superstar. Extremely maniacal, he died when he decided to change an electric bulb above his bathtub while he was taking a bath on the afternoon of March 11th, 1978.